


prom king

by rintsumu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Coffee, Excessive Use of Parentheses, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Protective Kai Nobuyuki, Trans Yaku Morisuke, bad metaphors im sorry skdjfh, cant believe that isnt a tag, teen for swearing uwu, there's probably more but im tired, yaku just wants cuddles...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27341713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rintsumu/pseuds/rintsumu
Summary: tetsurou goes with kenma to see his boyfriend's band play. he does not expect to fall in love with the vocalist, but he's definitely made worse decisions.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Kuroo Tetsurou/Yaku Morisuke, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52





	prom king

**Author's Note:**

> im not a big one for yakuroo but,, listen ok,, this just fit idk,, also this fic was ABSOLUTELY and ENTIRELY spawned from a week-long beach bunny addiction please dont @ me i literally cant defend it,, the title is from that song this fic is not ab prom at all and ive never been  
> it hurt to call morisuke "yaku" like half the time but it made sense cz yeah,, tetsu didnt know him so it mightve been weird  
> also the pov switches are kinda odd im sorry. also i have a bunch of bad metaphors all of those bits are written at night please spare me thank you  
> im a simp for repetition im sure at least 50% of the word content is just from long run-on sentences that keep going w the same starter KFJGHFHD  
> final note thing before is one of the songs i take lyrics from has a lil bit of a reference to s/lf h/rm so like,, if youre sensitive to that even just a lil just,, consider yourself before this please,, thankyou,,

there aren't many good words for how tetsurou feels as he watches the band on stage the first time. 

he supposes, when he thinks, that a good one might be "awestruck". 

he's not quite sure what he was expecting other than something amazing, since this was perhaps the first and only time ever where kenma would ask to go somewhere, especially with him, even though tetsurou was well aware that his boyfriend shouyou was performing with them. that coupled with tetsurou's excitement for trying new things led to him easily accepting, and now he was where he was. of course, this wasn't necessarily a good thing, since he was _maybe_ having an intense internal gay panic. 

because whatever he was expecting from shouyou's band, it wasn't this. 

tetsurou has never been one to be nervous, but _something_ about the way that the lead singer is looking into the crowd with so many emotions in his eyes, raw, unbridled, that tetsurou doesn't have time to understand nor unpack, is enthralling and somehow beautiful. there's few things that tetsurou felt he would struggle to replicate, but the way that this man is singing and the way that it's making him feel are both difficult to understand, and he's certain as it crosses his mind that he'll probably never make somebody feel how he does right now, but even without the man knowing who he is; without knowing who the man is- he's glad that he had the chance to feel that way, even if it's unlikely that he'll get to know him. 

he's not accustomed to losing himself in things, not really. he finds himself thinking that he should do it more often- succumbing to the flow of the vocalist, even without understanding the meaning. but that somehow- without knowing why he's singing, even then- feels disrespectful, with the way that he pours his all into singing, so that the audience can hear how each line makes him feel. 

_"i'm no quick curl barbie. i was never cut out for prom king."_

he sounds like the lines hurt him. if it weren't for the bright smile that stands on his face, tetsurou would think that the vocalist hates what he's saying. there's just something in the way that he emphasises king- tetsurou feels as though he's missing something. but no matter what it is, tetsurou finds himself thinking that this boy was definitely ought to be something, even if it wasn't prom king, because the way that he's on stage, the way that tetsurou feels for him without understanding why, the way that he seems so comfortable when pouring out words that clearly mean something to him- this boy is in his element; he's exactly where he was intended to be. 

_"if i'm pretty, will you like me? they say beauty makes boys happy. i've been starving myself, carving skin until my bones are showing.."_

tetsurou might be overthinking things, might be looking too deeply for something that isn't there, but he could swear in that moment that he sees unshed tears in the vocalist's eyes. it's unhealthy, thinks tetsurou, to find that they make him more beautiful, but they're shining, and he can't help it. 

it's impressive that he's able to sing words that clearly mean so much to him on a stage. in front of so many people, who could judge him, and yet he sings the words, with no regret, only with a kind of confidence that tetsurou hadn't imagined could ever come from someone who looked so timid only minutes ago when they were setting up their equipment. 

_"i wanna be okay."_

as the song comes to its end, tetsurou finds himself upset. where normally he could replay a song, hear it again, this is a live concert- and he's quite sure he'd know if kenma's boyfriend's band had ever visited a recording studio. he wants to listen again, over and over, to unpick the lyrics, he convinces himself. though he knows it probably wouldn't be the same if he heard it without seeing the vocalist, he chooses to ignore that fact. 

he absolutely refuses to crush on someone whose name he doesn't know. 

_"yaku-san!"_

he would not mind crushing on _yaku_. 

_"you were amazing, yaku-san!"_

_"thanks, lev."_

he laughs, oh god, he _laughs_ , and if tetsurou was in awe at this boy's singing voice, this was somehow even prettier. it's a good thing that tetsurou just found out his name, because otherwise he'd have to break the promise he just made to himself about "not crushing on people whose names he doesn't know".

then the band are packing up, and kenma's leaving backstage to talk to shouyou. he briefly asks tetsurou if he'd like to go with him, and he furiously declines, because it would definitely be weird if he showed up and started talking to this boy like he had a crush on him(which... he definitely did, to be fair) when they weren't even friends. kenma seems confused at this, and raises an eyebrow, but accepts his answer with no further questions. tetsurou breathes a sigh of relief; that's a small comfort at least. kenma knows him enough to know when he wouldn't like to do something. 

but then that's not that relevant because he comes through to the standing area with shouyou and the entire band in tow, and tetsurou tries to rush to the bathroom to avoid having to speak to them when he hears, _"kuroo-san!"_ and he knows that he can't avoid speaking to them, so he turns around, smiles widely and shouts back, _"chibi-chan!"_ , successfully earning a glare from kenma and a laugh from shouyou.

_"come over here, kuroo-san!"_

loud as ever, notes tetsurou, as he approaches them. he hopes his reluctance doesn't show, but he knows that's wishful thinking, because kenma has always known him well, and he was glad of it earlier but now he’s nervous that kenma knows him too well, well enough to know too much about how he’s feeling. he shoots a weird look at tetsurou, silently asking the question that he'll ask out loud later. 

_"this is the band!"_

_oh god_ , thinks tetsurou, _he's going to introduce them to me, and i'll have to act like i'm not a stupid gay dumbass._

_"that's terushima-san, behind us, at the bar. he was playing the drums just now, but he also plays guitar on some of the songs we have that don't use drums!"_

at the mention of his name, a boy with blonde hair turns around and waves over at them. there's an odd glint in his eye as he looks at tetsurou, and it's one that tetsurou knows well. the man looks him up and down and grins, and tetsurou returns the favour. kenma sighs and tells him to stop flirting with the band, and tetsurou turns around to splutter protests at kenma. they mostly consist of random noises until he eventually says _"i wasn't flirting with him!"_ and kenma gives him a look that implies he thinks otherwise, but says nothing more.

_"this is lev! he plays guitar."_

there's a small snort from behind tetsurou, and he turns to look at yaku, completely forgetting that he's being introduced to lev when he sees the humour in the boy's eyes. 

_"he uses the word 'plays' very lightly there, lev's new. he can barely play four chords in order."_

lev makes a huffing noise, and tetsurou turns to look at him. he's surprised to find that he has to look up- only a little, but still- to see the boy's face properly. lev seems used to this, but tetsurou definitely isn't short and it's new to him. he asks the first question that comes to mind.

_"holy shit, how tall are you?"_

_"6'5."_

_"woah, what the hell?"_

kenma snickers quietly, and tetsurou shoots him a look. he doesn't shut up. they've been friends for years, but tetsurou's well aware that he doesn't know everything about kenma. he still has no real idea of how to make him stop(and/or shut up) aside from something along the lines of _"you can't play any games until you stop."_ tetsurou's had the natural advantage with that one, since he can hold them above his head where he can't reach. 

_"this is yaku-san!"_

ah, tetsurou knows him. he did... lots of thinking about him. he can't say "no homo" if he gets asked, because he definitely meant it like that. 

_"he's our vocalist, he's amazing, right? he wrote that song by himself!"_

there's another band performing on stage now, and for a moment tetsurou wonders how loud they're actually being if he has to strain to hear shouyou. 

but yaku wrote the song. that would explain why it meant so much to him, why tetsurou could see emotions in his eyes as he sang, even if he wasn't close to the stage. 

_"wow, that's... really impressive."_

kenma gives him another look, and tetsurou briefly wonders how many times kenma can be confused or disappointed in him in one evening. but then his expression shifts, and suddenly he's smirking at tetsurou, and the power imbalance is fucked. tetsurou is scared, because he knows that look means that kenma knows what he's thinking about, and knows that he developed a crush on a boy he'd spoken to directly on exactly one occasion(right now). 

_"ah, thanks.."_

yaku is suddenly quiet, and tetsurou's nervous that he's made him uncomfortable until he sees that yaku's cheeks are turning slightly pink. _that's cute._

and then he's being swept up with the crowd; their excitement lasts strong even as the night progresses and tetsurou finds that it's infectious. even if his focus isn't on the bands, but on one of their vocalists, who seems significantly less excited than everybody else in the room. he's sitting at the bar and speaking with terushima, though with the way terushima is looking at someone further across the room tetsurou suspects that won't last much longer. 

he eventually leaves, as tetsurou had suspected that he would, but yaku makes no attempt to move, a small smile on his face. tetsurou is knocked by the crowd and ends up closer to the bar than he thought he'd be. he makes a noise at the shock of the push and yaku looks around. his smile widens slightly when he sees tetsurou, and it's a bad idea but tetsurou takes the seat next to him, calling the bartender for a water. he might not be a minor but alcohol seems like a bad idea, with lots of people around and a visit due from kenma and shouyou the next day. 

_"hi,"_

_"hi."_

they sit in silence for a while, and tetsurou finds himself comfortable with it, however unexpected. he was usually one for noise, to shout things, but somehow this felt just as nice to him. he looks to the side when he hears yaku inhale loudly, as though he's about to speak. 

_"you said you... liked the song."_

_"it was beautiful."_

yaku flushes a little and looks into his drink. tetsurou isn't sure what it is, but somehow he's jealous that the glass is getting yaku's focus instead of him. 

_"thanks... i wanted to ask what you liked about it?"_

tetsurou isn't sure how to answer that. he doesn't want to make yaku feel uncomfortable, but he also doesn't want to supply a mediocre answer that will disappoint him, when clearly he put his entire soul into it. 

_"honestly?"_

he responds finally, and yaku is quick to shoot back an affirmative. 

_"i liked that i could tell how much the words meant to you when you sang them. i don't know why they did, but they invoked some emotion in you and i could hear it while you were singing. i thought it was incredible that you could put so much effort into something."_

yaku looks straight back into his drink, and somehow tetsurou isn't jealous of the glass this time. 

all yaku says is,

_"oh."_

and tetsurou, ever equally intelligent, says,

_"yeah."_

they sit in silence for a long time. a few times shouyou tries to pull the two of them away from the bar, but neither makes any move. tetsurou feels glad that even though he said something so stupid and sappy, that could really have been completely off, yaku is still comfortable in his company.

then yaku mumbles something, and it pulls tetsurou out of his thoughts. 

_"hmm?"_

yaku takes a deep breath, then repeats a little louder.

 _"it's because i'm trans,"_ he says, _"it's why the song... makes me feel like that."_

 _oh_ , thinks tetsurou. and then, _wow_. he breathes out quickly, and yaku gives him a nervous look.

 _"well, that just makes it more impressive!"_ and then, at yaku's confusion, _"being able to go on stage and sing about something that's so tied to who you actually are, that's... amazing. to me, at least."_

tetsurou notes that he can feel his cheeks warming, and he pulls the move yaku's been pulling lots, where he stares into his drinks glass as though it's the most interesting thing he's seen in his entire existence. 

_"thank you."_

it's more formal than they've been all evening, but yaku sounds so happy when he says it that tetsurou finds he doesn't mind at all, and he turns his head to see a beautiful smile spread wide across yaku's lips. he mirrors it with one of his own, and it feels intimate because it's so genuine. he finds he could relive the moment over and over and never get bored. 

_"you're welcome."_

they don't speak after that, falling into their final comfortable silence of the evening. 

the day after, tetsurou wakes up and regrets not asking yaku for his phone number. 

-

 _"so,"_ starts kenma, and tetsurou sighs in a nervous anticipation of the question he's known since yesterday that he'd ask, _"yaku-san, huh?"_

_"i just- i just thought his song was really pretty!"_

_"oh yeah, and his voice, and his eyes, and his lips, and- shall i continue?"_

tetsurou's quite significantly redder in the cheeks than he was at the start of the conversation, and shouyou's opportune timing enables him to walk into the room and ask,

_"what about yaku-san?"_

kenma opens his mouth to say something, and tetsurou waves his hands frantically, untrusting of his mouth to form the words he wants to say. shouyou looks confused at this exchange as kenma thankfully catches on and says nothing, and eventually his lips form into an "o" and he grins. 

_"yknow, kuroo-san, if you like him, you should just tell him. it went fine for me and ken."_

_"oh?"_

it isn't nearly enough to regain his completely lost dignity, but tetsurou motions for shouyou to tell the story of how he got together with kenma. it's probably not as interesting as he needs it to be for everything to even out either, but the look on kenma's face as soon as shouyou says it is funny enough that even briefly, he forgets that he's being grilled over a crush _that he definitely does not have_ on yaku.

_"it wasn't much, i just saw him at a few of our concerts, waited until i was sure, and then i grabbed yaku-san's mic and told him that i loved him, up on the stage."_

_"it was absolute hell, shou, please never do that again. i swear everybody was looking at me."_

_"but you were only looking back at me, right?"_

tetsurou wishes he doesn't feel as lonely as he does when they start to talk like that; like they're the only ones in the room. he does resist the urge to burst out laughing when shouyou tells the story, but he thinks from time to time that it would be nice to have someone to shut the world out with like that. if he thinks of yaku as he has that thought, if his cheeks flush again having only just gone back to normal, then that's none of anybody else's business. 

-

the next time tetsurou sees the band is about two weeks later, after begging kenma non-stop to tell him when the next show was. 

kenma's stopped showing surprise at his excitement to see them play. tetsurou doesn't know if he should be offended or happy that he's given up.

they're just as good as before, maybe better, and as the intro chords to a song tetsurou doesn't recognise begin to play, his eyes instinctively flick to yaku, to see how he feels about the song he sings. 

to his- disappointment? he thinks- there's not anything there to betray an emotion this time. he sings, and his voice is as beautiful as before, tetsurou can't get it out of his head; can't focus on anything else, but he can't help the thought that the song doesn't mean as much to yaku as the prom king song did. tetsurou belatedly realises he doesn't know its title. 

later, after the show, he'd recount how they didn't play that song that evening. but despite the fact that the songs don't mean as much to yaku, he still can't take his eyes off the boy. when they end up at the bar again, a glass of water each, they sit in another of their silences that tetsurou realises he's missed while he'd been unable to see yaku. 

he opens his mouth to say something, to fill the quiet, but it's unneeded, and anyway, he doesn't have anything to say. 

he still doesn't ask about exchanging numbers.

-

but it would turn out that he doesn't need to, because the next morning when he wakes up- at the early hour of 12.03pm- there's a message on his phone. 

**> >>yaku <<<tetsurou**

**> >>is this kuroo tetsurou? [07.32]**

**> >>it's yaku :) [07.32]**

**> >>i asked shouyou for your number, hope this isn't weird [07.33]**

**< <<yeah, this is tetsurou [12.05]**

**< <<dw it isnt weird [12.05]**

**< <<also HOW were you awake at 7.30 it's literally saturday [12.05]**

**> >>not another late-rising heathen [12.07]**

**< <<HEATHEN??? anyone who gets up before 9am on a SATURDAY is doing so specifically and only to do the work of satan [12.07]**

**< <<like ok pack it up michelle [12.07]**

**> >>you... did you... [12.08]**

**> >>i am NOT a monster from hell fuck you [12.08]**

**< <<you got the ref im impressed [12.08]**

**< <<what did you want my number for anyway lol? was i too attractive? seduced you from a distance? ;) [12.08]** ****

**> >>i'm in a band. i know music [12.09]**

**> >>ignoring the last two questions because what the fuck [12.09]**

**> >>but i was wondering if you'd wanna get coffee or smth [12.09]**

**< <<yknow what? you make a good point [12.10]**

**< <<im totally taking that as a yes to the last two questions yakkun [12.10]**

**< <<and yes id like to [12.10]**

**> >>who's yakkun, i don't know a yakkun [12.11]**

**> >>maybe you're responding to the wrong person, tetsu-chan [12.11]**

**< <<yknow what? now i get why you wouldnt like being called yakkun [12.12]**

**> >>thank you [12.12]**

**< <<but i'll have to get used to tetsu-chan ig cz im not stopping [12.13]**

**> >>men who i should never get coffee with: tetsu-chan [12.14]**

**< <<yknow yakkun if you want ME to ask YOU instead you can just say you want to be my baby instead of the other way around [12.15]**

**> >>i should never have asked shou for your number [12.15]**

**< <<aw yakkun, you dont want to spend time with me?? :( [12.16]**

**> >>no i, i do, i just- [12.16]**

**< <<dw yakkun, i know you do, im just playin [12.17]**

**> >>i'm leaving oh my god [12.18]**

**< <<woah, youre gonna be pretty early for our date yakkun [12.18]**

**> >>date? don't get ahead of yourself, tetsu-chan, it's just coffee [12.19]**

**< <<woah, who said date? i think that was yOU wow you wanna go on a date w me im so honoured :') [12.19]**

**> >>where is the man who said cute shit to me about my singing did shou give me the wrong number smh [12.20]**

**< <<same guy, but i woke up 10 minutes ago [12.21]**

**< <<higher brain functions are Not right now [12.21]**

**> >>not what [12.23]**

**< <<theyre just Not [12.24]**

**> >>... [12.25]**

**> >>so, coffee?? [12.25]  
**

**< <<coffee. [12.26]**

**> >>i'll ring you and tell you the details if you want [12.26]**

**> >>pshh i can totally type it though if that's easier i definitely know how to spell the name of the place [12.27]**

**< <<you dont do you [12.27]**

**> >>absolutely not please let me call you [12.28]**

**[call has started.]**

**> >>[kuroo?]**

**< <<[what happened to tetsu-chan, yakkun?]**

**> >>[you want me to call you tetsu-chan out loud?]**

**< <<[absolutely. also, it feels kinda unfair that you know my first name but i don't know yours.]**

**> >>[hmm...]**

**< <<[woah, sighing? that's pretty rude of you...?]**

**> >>[i can't believe you. morisuke.]**

**< <<[morisuke... that's a nice name.]**

**> >>[are you flirting with me?]**

**< <<[no, do you want me to?]**

**[call has ended.]**

**< <<WAIT MORISUKE IM SORRY [12.30]**

**> >>you're so AAA [12.31]**

**< <<i literally have no idea what that means [12.31]**

**< <<is it a good thing? [12.31]**

**> >>i don't know, i haven't decided yet [12.32]**

**[call has been declined.]**

**[call has been declined.]**

**[call has been declined.]**

**[call has been declined.]**

**> >>STOP CALLING ME [12.34]**

**[call has been declined.]**

**< <<just pick up, yakkun [12.36]**

**> >>damn, where did morisuke go? [12.36]**

**< <<aw, you want me to call you by your first name, yakkun? intimate [12.36]**

**> >>oh my god [12.36]** ****

**[call has been declined.]**

**> >>STOP IT [12.37]**

**[call has been declined.]**

**< <<PICK UP THEN [12.38]**

**[call has started.]**

**< <<[oh my god, yakkun, you picked up!]**

**> >>[you'd have kept calling me.]**

**< <<[maybe i would've, maybe i wouldn't-]**

**> >>[you definitely would have.]**

**< <<[AS I WAS SAYING, maybe i wouldn't have! you can't prove anything, yakkun.]**

**> >>[i can prove you're a dumbass.]**

**< <<[i will hang up the phone.]**

**> >>[which one of us declined 7 calls in the past 10 minutes? i'm not exactly on my knees for the chance to talk to you.]** ****

**< <<[on your-]**

**> >>[if you make a single joke about me being on my knees i will hang up the phone and block your number, tetsu-chan.]**

**< <<[okay, okay! coffee?]**

**> >>[you're so annoying, i can't believe i'm still going to get coffee with you.]**

**< <<[that sounds suspiciously like a yes, yakkun.]**

**> >>[that's because it is a yes, but don't take it for granted.]**

**< <<[okay! where do you want to go?]**

-

tetsurou might be a little early, but he swears it was an accident. 

(okay, it most definitely was not. he won't deny that he set an alarm on the weekend- for the first time- just to make sure he wouldn't miss the time. after some harsh bargaining, morisuke, god of waking up early every day, had agreed to meet him at 11am. it was still earlier than tetsurou would rather and usually be up, but he wasn't going to be late just because of his body's clock. the problem with this was that he set his alarm for 9.30, just to give him enough time to see if he could actually do something with his hair for once, but he gave up quickly, as usual. he was ready by 10am. it was now 10.30, and he's already arrived.)

_"at least i'm not the only one way too early,"_

tetsurou turns around, and _shit, morisuke looks amazing today, as usual._ he's only wearing jeans and a light-looking button up, but he's paired the simple get-up with a pair of chain earrings, and it's almost odd that they look so good together, but they do, and tetsurou suddenly feels underdressed, even if he's wearing basically the same thing minus the earrings. 

not really one to be hesitant, he voices his thoughts. 

_"you look great,"_ and it's not quite the full extent of what he means to say, but he doesn't want to make morisuke uncomfortable, so it works for the time being. 

_"thank you."_ morisuke eyes him up and down. _"you look... how you usually do."_

tetsurou laughs, loudly. _"i'll take that as a compliment."_

morisuke raises an eyebrow, but makes no attempt to confirm or deny it. 

_"wanna go in, then?"_

-

they finish with coffee quite quickly, though they stay sitting in the booth. surprisingly, they're not overtaken by one of their silences, not that tetsurou would mind, really, but they talk comfortably about things. it's nothing in particular, but every time morisuke laughs a little, smiles, or shares something he agrees or disagrees with, tetsurou takes note of it. 

he probably shouldn't be so comfortable with the fact that he's almost definitely fallen for morisuke in the span of only a few weeks having only barely spoken to him, but somehow it's nice. it's not overwhelming, like a crush, it's not brief; he's not sure how long it will last, he just knows that he likes it. he likes spending time with morisuke.

_"are you even listening?"_

tetsurou's snapped back into reality quickly by morisuke's hand in front of his face, his expression indignant across the table.

_"every word."_

morisuke snorts but flushes a little, and tetsurou grins a little at the smile that he's obviously trying to repress(he's not very successful, and it's completely endearing).

_"whatever."_

-

****> >>morisuke <<<tetsurou** **

**> >>you're stupid [16.43]**

**> >>but for what it's worth, i like your company [16.43]**

**< <<aw, are you secretly a softie, morisuke? [17.04]**

**> >>shut up, tetsu-chan. [17.09]**

-

the third time tetsurou sees the band, it's maybe two weeks later(give or take a few days), and he's done some brainstorming as to what he thinks the most appropriate word for their performance is. 

he has a few things in mind walking into the room, but as they set up and he sees morisuke, and as morisuke sees him and _grins,_ he knows the most apt word for the evening will be "captivating", even if he doesn't hear the prom king song again. 

he laughs quietly to himself as he watches morisuke push shouyou and lev a little and then turns to wave at tetsurou, and tetsurou waves back. he laughs louder as he hears a chorus of _"ooh"_ s from the rest of the band. kenma is quiet next to him, and says nothing about the interaction, though even without turning, tetsurou can picture the smile that will be on his face. whether it will be from the fact that he's so friendly with morisuke or from the fact that shouyou's laughing in earnest on the stage, he doesn't know, but he knows that the smile will be there either way. 

the band play yet another new song, and tetsurou starts to wonder how they manage to do it. it has to be difficult to write songs, so pumping out a new one every few weeks has got to be an impressive feat. 

as usual, his gaze turns to morisuke. he's surprised to find morisuke's eyes locked onto him, and he smiles a little and quirks an eyebrow. morisuke lets out a sigh and the mic catches it a little over the guitars. tetsurou laughs. 

_"if you feel lonely, i could be lonely with you."_

tetsurou's shocked to find that morisuke doesn't take his eyes off him as he sings the lines. he doesn't mind at all, because the intensity that he carried in the first show he saw was back in his eyes, and tetsurou was enraptured. 

it wasn't exactly the same. the first time, he looked like he was hurting, like the lines were deeply personal to him. considered what he told tetsurou, they were(and tetsurou was still secretly in love with the fact that he had the confidence to sing like that on a stage). this time he looked happy, but like he knew why he was happy. there wasn't much more to it than that; he seemed excited about what he was saying. tetsurou guessed that he wrote this song himself as well, even if, the more he listened in to the lyrics, they didn't seem all that happy in themselves. 

_"i'm tired of waiting! i was never good at sports.. save the games for the boys on the tennis courts."_

morisuke held tetsurou's eye. he seemed a little surprised that tetsurou never looked at the rest of the band, but it didn't distract him, and for that tetsurou was glad. 

_"it always feels like... i need more..."_

tetsurou isn't sure what that's supposed to mean, but as the song finishes, he looks down at his drink. 

_"you're blushing,"_

that's kenma. tetsurou would sound mean if he said he forgot kenma was there, so he won't say it(but it's true. he may have gotten... a little wrapped up in the band).

but _wait, what?_ because since when did he blush over _eye contact?_

_"huh?"_

_"i said, you're blushing. the song that interesting? or maybe you weren't focused on the song."_

_"shut up! i was perfectly focused on the song!"_

a new voice(that tetsurou knows very well) speaks up from behind them. 

_"really? damn, and here i thought that you holding my eye that entire time meant something."_

morisuke sits next to tetsurou and leans into him a little. tetsurou tenses and morisuke laughs. kenma raises an eyebrow in his usual judging way, and holding to that sentiment, continues to say nothing, and just observe. 

_"holding your eye? as if."_

_"oh yeah? then what were you doing?"_

_"i was just.. um.."_

_"looking into my eyes like you were in love with me, tetsu-chan?"_

tetsurou gasps exaggeratedly and looks at morisuke, whose head is resting on his arm. 

_"as if! was not!"_

_"were too."_

it's so childish, but as they argue back and forth, a blush high on his cheeks and a grin cemented onto morisuke's face, he can't find it within himself to care. somehow it feels right, even if he doesn't know why(or denies that he does).

_"fine! pshh! maybe i was! but it doesn't mean anything."_

morisuke gives him a confused look.

_"you, me, intense eye contact. plus a love song. means... nothing?"_

tetsurou is quick to panic.

_"well, not nothing! i, uhm.."_

he trails off and looks down, avoiding looking at morisuke(who, slightly sweaty from being under the lights and exerting himself on the stage, looks absolutely fucking stunning in just a zipped-up jacket and a pair of shorts. tetsurou thinks morisuke ought to be wearing his jacket, but it's not like he, as someone who is _not_ morisuke's boyfriend, would get boyfriend privileges). 

_"i'm joking, tetsu-chan! what did you think of it, by the way?"_

tetsurou huffs, but looks back up. 

_"i thought it was incredible."_

he says it while faking anger and morisuke stifles a laugh- badly- next to him, even if out of the corner of his eye tetsurou can see that he's smiling widely and genuinely. 

_"thanks, tetsu-chan."_

_"you're welcome, yakkun."_

morisuke turns away and starts a conversation with terushima at the nickname. tetsurou laughs loudly and gets up to go and talk to shouyou.

-

_"okay, spill."_

tetsurou yawns and blinks at the sun, which makes its way through his apartment door(the room in front of the window is a curse and a blessing, but at 8.12am on a saturday, it's most definitely a curse). 

_"about what?"_

_"he calls you tetsu-chan. you call him yakkun. you were flirting yesterday-"_

_"we were not flirting-"_

_"you were flirting yesterday, and you were staring at him the whole time. so spill, what happened."_

he rubs his eyes and then welcomes kenma into his room. kenma walks purposefully through it and collapses onto the sofa, spreading out entirely and stretching a little before turning to look at tetsurou. 

_"make yourself at home,"_

he mutters, half joking and half serious. saturdays are his rest days, and he feels like he's been robbed of that. kenma doesn't seem to think his joke is that funny, and glares at him. tetsurou sighs and goes to lay on the floor. he thinks he hears a comment from kenma about _"if he goes to sleep on the floor, now, he won't wake up again-"_ and though oddly specific, he chooses to brush it off as his imagination(and desperate want to go back to sleep).

_"not much happened. he got my number from chibi-chan and we went out for coffee."_

kenma looks surprised, which is quite new, and tetsurou revels in it for a moment, before processing it, and looks indignantly at him.

_"hey! what's so weird about that?"_

_"okay, well first off, i've said over and over, please stop calling shou 'chibi-chan'. and you went for coffee? and didn't tell me?"_

_"why would i? it was just coffee."_

_"it was a date."_

_"it wasn't!"_

_"it was. you went on a date with the guy you like and you didn't even tell me! how are we meant to be best friends if you keep this stuff from me?"_

(tetsurou experiences a long grilling session- probably deserved, after all that kenma went through from him after he got together with shouyou- and does not get the chance to make up for his missed rest time.)

-

the first voice other than his own that morisuke hears that morning is nobuyuki's, and it's distracting, but not unwelcome.

_"you're playing your love songs playlist. when do i meet him?"_

it's definitely unwelcome. 

_"who says there's anyone? can't i just play my love songs playlist whenever i want to?"_

nobuyuki laughs, and morisuke could scream, because no matter how much time passes, how much time they spend apart, nobuyuki has always been able to walk back into his life as though he never left. he's an annoying best friend, but morisuke has to begrudgingly admit that he's not shit. if he's in a particularly good mood he might even say he was a good one. 

(if he's having a bad day, he might call him an amazing one. memories of high school years and all of nobuyuki's help while he transitioned never really leave his mind, and it's obvious to anybody that sees them that they're close. even if morisuke is bad at showing it, he'll always be grateful to nobuyuki, and nobuyuki knows this.)

_"you can, you can! i just know that you never do. so, to go back to my original question, when do i meet him? i have to give him the seal of approval."_

morisuke splutters and gasps. 

_"when were you the one who set the standard? i'll have you know that i have incredible taste in men!"_

_"you're off your game, normally you'd deny it until i'd have to give in. you've just indirectly admitted that there is someone."_

silence takes over morisuke, because he hates to admit it but nobuyuki is completely right. he's out of the habit of having crushes, and so he forgets briefly that he's not supposed to tell nobuyuki that he has one until he really has to. he shouts, frustration in his tone, and looks into the corner, glaring so intensely that if there were any real fire behind it there would be a hole in the wall. 

_"so... when do i-"_

_"when do you meet him, yes, i know the question."_

he still refuses to meet nobuyuki's gaze, not least because the humour he can hear in his tone is annoying to no end. in honesty, morisuke doesn't ever really want to tell tetsurou that he likes him, he'd be fine to just be friends, but nobuyuki in the picture would change things, because it creates the dilemma of "if i don't tell him, nobuyuki will". it's a dilemma he absolutely hates being faced with. anything he said about nobuyuki being a good best friend was a lie, he's terrible.

_"never."_

_"what? then how do i know you'll be safe... my little morisuke... my son..."_

_"what the hell? i'm not little, you bastard!"_

morisuke looks up at nobuyuki as he wipes a fake tear from his eye, and motions punching into his hand. nobuyuki laughs and raises his hands in surrender, and as another voice speaks up from behind him, he realises that his focus on nobuyuki left him open to attacks from behind. 

_"yaku-san, are you writing a love song?"_

he whips around faster than he's ever done before and turns to see yuuki, holding the piece of paper he was just writing on. 

_"shut up! give that back!"_

_"a love song, huh, morisuke? you really like this guy.."_

_"you're not meeting him. and fuck off!"_

morisuke scrambles to grab the paper, but thankfully yuuki, a better friend than nobuyuki could ever be, gives him the paper without putting up a fight. 

he pushes nobuyuki out of the room, and then takes a moment to look at yuuki. _technically, he gave the paper back_. he huffs a little but makes no move to get rid of yuuki, who sighs softly and sits down on the floor. morisuke mentally thanks every deity he knows that he's not as pushy as nobuyuki(even if he doesn't really mind it, and really likes nobuyuki's company anyway).

-

morisuke could throw up. 

he's on stage, about to perform a song(definitely not a new one that he wrote specifically about tetsurou, absolutely not) and nobuyuki is in the crowd grinning at him. 

stupid dumb clever nobuyuki, who figured that if he was writing a song for this guy, he'd be performing it to him at the next show. morisuke doesn't even know how to face tetsurou when he sings the song he wrote for him when he knows that nobuyuki's eyes will be on him the entire time. watching where he's watching. 

he knows that nobuyuki's only trying to look out for him, he's been hurt in the past, obviously, but it can be quite overbearing(and sometimes uncomfortable). 

but as the intro plays, he lets out a sigh- a loud one, like at the last show(and if he hears a snicker as the microphone catches it, and if he knows it's from tetsurou, he makes no move to acknowledge it)- and opens his mouth to sing. 

the lights are heavy and he can't find tetsurou in the crowd, but it doesn't matter, because he knows that like last time, and maybe like every time, tetsurou's eyes will be on him, will be analysing how he feels about the song. it seems a little strange to morisuke in that moment that he expects so much from tetsurou, even though they haven't spoken much and have only been out for coffee once, but somehow it also seems like it's exactly how things should be. he doesn't have time to unpack that. 

_"i don't want to seem the way i do, but i'm confident when i'm with you."_

-

the song is different- well, obviously- but tetsurou means in terms of emotions. the first time was hurt, the next was nothing, the third was happiness. the closest tetsurou can think to link this time to is love, which somehow both surprises him and makes sense.

morisuke gives a member of the crowd a glare before the song starts, and tetsurou struggles to find who it was, but as soon as morisuke opens his mouth all of tetsurou's attention is back on him. 

as the lyrics fly past him, birds to a rhythm in his ears, he finds that the song is about love. he lets his heart leap in what he could describe as hope, before stifling that, just in case. 

_"but when he loves me, i feel like i'm floating."_

it's not a long song, but it's sweet, and it makes tetsurou feel amazing and horrible(at the same time). 

morisuke doesn't meet his eyes, but tetsurou knows that the lighting is to blame. he doesn't know if morisuke would have looked at him if he could see him, but with his imagination running wild, he pushes those thoughts away and instead turns to talk to kenma. 

he doesn't have anything to say, which is odd. he just opens his mouth and then closes it. kenma doesn't seem surprised, and if he is, he's better at hiding it than he was a few weeks ago. 

then the song is finished and morisuke's behind him.

_"tetsu-chan?"_

tetsurou is still in a daze, but he smiles at morisuke. unable to think of anything to say, he settles for a, _"morisuke."_ and morisuke gives him a look, because he'd usually give a sarcastic, _"yakkun."_ or anything along those lines, but somehow the way that he says his given name is intimate and maybe tetsurou is imagining the flush on his cheeks or maybe it's the light but either way they both smile. they're quiet for a little; kenma leaves with shouyou soon after and tetsurou can't think of anything to say. whether morisuke can or not isn't really relevant, because it doesn't make a difference to the fact that neither of them say anything or make any move to. 

_"morisuke!"_

someone that tetsurou doesn't recognise walks over to them, and he seems close with morisuke(he _did_ just yell his given name across a room full of people, so). tetsurou gets up to leave, but morisuke grabs his arm and pulls him back to sit again. he's not sure if morisuke is genuinely stronger than him or if he's just surprised but whichever it is, he lets himself sit again, just as the person arrives and gives morisuke an odd look. 

_"nobuyuki. why are you spying on me?"_

_"i'm not spying on you! i just wanted to-"_

_"yeah, i know what you wanted to do."_

morisuke is quick to interrupt "nobuyuki" and it confuses tetsurou. he taps morisuke on the arm, and gives him a confused look. 

_"right. this is kuroo tetsurou, that's kai nobuyuki."_

_"um.. hi?"_

_"hi! so, morisuke, is this...?"_

he leaves the question open-ended and tetsurou feels more than a little left out. morisuke doesn't look at him, only sighs, and says, _"yeah, sure."_ and whatever it is, he doesn't sound very certain about it. he hopes it isn't something bad. 

nobuyuki gives him a grin. 

_"especially nice to meet you, then. do you- does he know?"_

he directs the question towards morisuke, and, not for the first time that evening, tetsurou is left feeling confused and like there's a joke he isn't understanding. 

_"know what? there's two things."_

_"does he know-"_

nobuyuki pauses to make a heart gesture with his hands, and morisuke sighs.

_"just, fuck subtlety then? he didn't, but he probably does now."_

_"rich words from someone who wrote a love song about him."_

they continue like this for a while, so tetsurou stops trying to wrap his head around what they're saying(his answers are always too hopeful) and instead focuses very intently on his drink. he lifts it to eye level and attempts to count the bubbles. it's quite difficult when they keep popping and new ones keep forming. 

and then the lights are a little too heavy and the bubbles go slightly out of focus, and he snaps himself back to reality. in an attempt to sneak out without causing concern, he speaks up before he leaves- _"i'm gonna grab some air, be back in a bit."_

this, unfortunately, is entirely unsuccessful, as morisuke and nobuyuki instantly turn to look at him. he gets up and looks away from morisuke's eyes- the glance of even a second and tetsurou could see the overwhelming waves of concern, ready to crash down, ready to completely overpower him and anything he might be about to do. before either can ask if he's alright, he answers the question for them. 

_"i'm alright, just kinda dizzy."_

_"i'm coming with you."_

_"you don't need to."_

_"i want to."_

_"alright."_

nobuyuki watches their interaction with humour in his eyes. if tetsurou looked more deeply, he'd see the foundations of concern too(but the only person's eyes who he wants to look that far into is morisuke). 

_"take care of your boyfriend, morisuke."_

morisuke huffs and tetsurou turns bright red. without a word he starts walking towards the doors, away from where it's warm, so much so that it's almost suffocating- that could be from the crowd or his own flush, he couldn't say for sure. 

_"he's not my boyfriend, nobuyuki!"_

he hears morisuke's indignant tone, and it stings tetsurou a little to hear, because he can't tell who the venom in his tone is directed towards. he thought their(to quote kenma) _date_ went well, but the way that morisuke says it sounds so hateful, almost as though he'd be repulsed at the thought of dating him. there's a pang in his chest but he chooses to ignore it, because morisuke runs to catch him as he makes his way to the exit. 

as he puts his hand out to push the door open, he mumbles, _"could be,"_ and morisuke gives him a confused look, before realisation dawns on him. embarrassment pools in tetsurou and he's about to open his mouth, about to frantically apologise, before morisuke says, _"yeah. could be,"_ and tetsurou says, _"oh."_ and that's the end of their conversation. 

the wind is cold enough that he snaps out of his dizziness, but not cold enough to run a shiver through him. 

-

****> >>morisuke <<<tetsurou** **

****> >>uh [14.23]** **

****> >>i'm at the beach [14.23]** **

****< <<?? did you message the wrong person [14.25]** **

****> >>no, uh, i was wondering if you wanted to join me [14.25]** **

****< <<aww, are you trying to go on a date with me? [14.26]** **

****> >>shut up [14.26]** **

****> >>but what if i am? [14.26]** **

****< <<getting bold i see yakkun [14.27]** **

****< <<i'll come if you answer a question for me [14.27]** **

****> >>why [14.28]** **

****< <<cause i want to know [14.29]** **

****> >>fine [14.32]** **

****> >>but it better not be anything stupid i swear to god tetsu-chan [14.32]** **

****< <<FUCK YEAH [14.33]** **

****< <<ok bet but like,, who was that song for [14.34]** **

****> >>which song? [14.34]** **

****< <<the love song dumbass [14.35]** **

****> >>no need to be rude about it smh [14.35]** **

****> >>why do you want to know? wish it was about you? [14.36]** **

****< <<and if i do? [14.38]** **

****> >>if you do then: nothing [14.38]** ** ****

****< <<:') [14.39]** **

****< <<you didnt answer the question, yakkun [14.40]** **

****> >>yknow what? i'll just enjoy the beach alone [14.41]** **

****< <<coward, i'll be there in 20 [14.42]** **

****> >>what? [14.42]** **

****< <<i said i'll be there- [14.43]** **

****> >>no, i can read but, what [14.44]** **

****> >>i totally scammed you... i didn't even answer your question... [14.44]** **

****< <<feeling bad? gonna answer? you can just admit you fell for me at first sight [14.45]** **

**< <<no need to be embarrassed [14.45]**

**> >>fuck off [14.46]**

**> >>i'm not answering [14.47]**

**< <<yturifhjdjt [14.48]**

**> >>that is... the ugliest keyboard smash i have ever seen [14.49]**

**> >>before you ask, no i am not going to demonstrate a better one [14.49]**

**< <<fine then, be like that [14.50]**

**< <<anyway im literally learning fuck off [14.50]**

**> >>ghh why would i even invite you to the beach you're so annoying [14.50]**

**< <<im hurt, yakkun [14.51]**

**< <<also about that? [14.51]**

**> >>i'm not answering the question [14.52]**

**< <<dw about that im not bugging you ab it [14.53]**

**< <<yet [14.53]**

**> >>YET???? [14.54]**

**< <<im 10 minutes away [14.54]**

**> >>WHAT [14.54]**

**> >>from which beach???? i literally did not specify [14.55]**

**< <<i only know one beach so im just going to that one and crossing my fingers [14.55]**

**> >>you're so stupid what the fuck [14.56]**

**< <<when hes rude to you and treats you with as little respect as he is able 🥰 [14.57]  
**

**< <<yeah, thats when you know hes the one 🤩 [14.57]**

**> >>you think i'm the one, tetsu-chan? [14.58]**

**< <<shut [14.58]**

**< <<im almost there [14.58]**

**> >>you're not?? denying it?? [14.59]**

**< <<ooh my mistake for crushing on and maybe falling in love with one of the most talented and handsome guys ive ever met like no im not gonna apologise wtf [15.01]**

**< <<wait a minute [15.01]**

**> >>tetsu-chan, you're in love with me?? [15.02]**

**< <<im going home 😎 [15.02]**

**> >>TETSU-CHAN??????? EXPLAIN [15.03]**

**< <<no 😎 [15.03]**

**< <<if you can read then scroll up that will explain 😎 [15.03]**

**> >>you're just gonna say that and then run away?? [15.04]**

**< <<yes 😎 [15.04]**

**< <<im sprinting back to my house rn bet 😎 [15.05]**

**> >>stop with the fucking sunglasses emojis oh my god [15.06]**

**< <<no 😎 [15.06]**

**> >>one piece of information that you're not factoring into your very good plan to run away from me and never speak to me again: [15.06]**

**> >>i might like you too [15.07]**

**< <<absolutely and entirely unrealistic, so no 😎 [15.09]**

**< <<also youre not meant to know my plan wtf [15.09]**

**> >>ive done my fair share of pining dumbass [15.10]**

**< <<im not fucking pining for you [15.10]**

**> >>ok bet [15.11]**

**> >>two things btw [15.11]**

**< <<ok, go [15.12]**

**> >>thank you for stopping using that godawful emoji [15.13]**

**< <<FUCK that was an accident 😎 [15.14]**

**> >>literally shut up [15.14]**

**< <<im feeling super romanced [15.15]**

**> >>as you ought to [15.15]**

**> >>but if youre not pining then please explain smth for me: [15.16]**

**< <<oh fuck ghfdjeuryhg [15.16]**

**> >>" **ooh my mistake for crushing on and maybe falling in love with one of the most talented and handsome guys ive ever met like no im not gonna apologise wtf" [15.17]****

****> >>how...how else am i meant to interpret that, tetsu-chan [15.17]** **

****< <<cant believe you copy-pasted my fucking love confession thats a low blow [15.17]** **

****> >>LOVE CONFESSION????????? [15.18]** **

****> >>TETSUROU?????????????? [15.18]** **

****< <<i really...cannot stop saying shit [15.19]** **

**< <<also uh oh you pulled out the full name [15.20]**

**> >>IM CONFUSED [15.21]**

**< <<literally how... do i need to spell this shit out for you [15.21]**

**> >>preferably [15.22]**

**> >>i hate misinterpreting things [15.23]**

**< <<how could you possibly misinterpret that. i said it and then i called it a love confession [15.23]**

**> >>so you're in love with me? [15.24]**

**< <<i mean yeah ig [15.24]**

**> >>YOU GUESS???? [15.25]**

**< <<fuck off, fine [15.25]**

**< <<yes, im in love w you [15.25]**

**< <<happy?? [15.25]**

**> >>extremely [15.26]**

**< <<okay you can block me now uwu {15.26]**

**> >>why would i block you? [15.26]**

**< <<cause you dont like me and you never could because im me and a guy? uwu [15.27]**

**> >>i wrote an entire love song for you [15.27]**

**> >>and all the pronouns in my love songs are "he" [15.28]**

**> >>also is adding stupid shit to the end of your sentences a nervous habit or smth [15.28]**

**< <<im jared, 19 @ those first two sentences youre for fake uwu [15.29]**

**< <<and yes it is uwu [15.30]**

**> >>i'm literally telling the entire truth i... [15.31]**

**> >>how do i make you believe me [15.31]**

**< <<you cant owo [15.32]**

**> >>i literally have no words for you [15.32]**

**< <<thank you jfhg7r4ujrfic87ytrh [15.33]**

**> >>i'm reeling from that keyboard smash [15.34]**

**< <<nice jfhhjdmnrj4urt8gytru44jkwoi3984rt7gubfn [15.34]**

**> >>what the FUCK [15.35]**

**[seen.]**

**> >>oh my god, tetsu-chan [15.36]**

**[seen.]**

**> >>fuck [15.36]**

**[seen.]**

-

**> >>morisuke <<<shouyou**

**> >>shou?? [15.40]**

**< <<YAKU-SAN?????? [15.42]**

**< <<IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT???????? [15.43]**

**> >>uh, no [15.44]**

**< <<OKAY, WHATS WRONG AND HOW CAN I HELP [15.44]**

**> >>it's about tetsu-chan [15.45]**

**< <<OH SJFHGHDJS DID YOU FINALLY REALISE YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM? [15.45]**

**> >>what? no, i knew that [15.45]**

**> >>he told me he's in love with me and now he's ignoring my messages [15.46]**

**< <<HE WHAT???//????? HES SO STUPID [15.47]**

**< <<SO ARE YOU FOR NOT REALISING HES IN LOVE W YOY BUT [15.47]**

**> >>how was i meant to know? [15.48]**

**< <<HE LITERALLY LOOKS @ YOU LIKE YOURE EVRYTHING BUT OKAY [15.48]**

**> >>he doesn't?? but back to my problem- [15.49]**

**< <<HES A DUMBASS,, STUPDI DUMB KUROO-SAN [15.50]**

**< <<ILL GIVE TOU HIS ADdRESS [15.51]**

**> >>what [15.51]**

**< <<YOY LIKE HIM TOO AND ANYWAY THERES GOTTA BE SOME CONFRONTATION [15.52]**

**> >>ok you're right [15.53]**

**< <<YES I KNOW YAKU-SAN [15.53]**

**[shouyou has shared a google maps location.]**

**< <<GO TELL HIM YOURE IN LOVE W HIM [15.53]**

**> >>he won't believe me [15.54]**

**< <<MAKE HIM BELIEBE YOU [15.54]**

**> >>okay [15.55]**

**< <<YEAH!! GO YAKU-SAN!! [15.55]**

**> >>thanks, shou [15.56]**

**> >>i'm gonna go now [15.56]**

**< <<GOOD LUCK [15.57]**

-

morisuke can't keep the smile off of his lips when he arrives in front of the apartment that shouyou said was tetsurou's. he doesn't know whether it's borne of fear or genuine happiness, but it doesn't change anything as he waits, having knocked on the door, hands fumbling over nothing and each other as his nervousness at seeing tetsurou ramps up by the second. 

it feels like life is holding him on the edge, tilting him back and forth with how far he can go- the door only opens a crack as soon as he's about to turn away. the number of times that he's pinched himself in the past hour to check that he's not dreaming is obscene(and probably quite unhealthy, judging by how red his arm is). 

_"morisuke?"_

tetsurou's voice sounds raw. morisuke is unsure as to whether he wants to see his face or not- whether or not he wants to be certain that tetsurou's been crying his eyes out. 

_"hi."_

_"what do you want?"_

the chill that his tone takes on hurts morisuke to his core. he knows that it shouldn't, because it's sort of his fault for not knowing how to prove to tetsurou that he really likes him(even though he knows in his heart that he can't accept all of the blame, because that would be wrong and not good for him, to shoulder something entirely when it's not his to accept the entirety of). all the same, it stings.

tetsurou speaks to him as though he wants nothing to do with him. the poison in his voice is quick-travelling and it travels around morisuke's body as though he'd just run a marathon, heart beating at a million miles per hour to make up for the lack of oxygen in each muscle. a negative exhaustion fuelling a further detriment- but morisuke decides that it's a metaphor best saved for a song and not for the way he feels right now, for, apt as it is, he has things that he needs to say before tetsurou grows tired of him and closes the door(carrying through his metaphor, morisuke believes that would be the moment that the poison reached his brain and caused a complete physical and mental shutdown). 

_"can i come in? there's some things i want to say."_

_"no."_

morisuke doesn't sigh; he wasn't expecting a different response. somehow as well, he gets the feeling that if he were to sigh at anything either of them said, his chances at a successful reconciliation(and potential boyfriend, but that seems like aiming a little high with how things are going right now) would go down quite significantly. 

_"okay."_

he can't deny that he'd be far more comfortable falling into a silence right now- where he could just sit, and somehow feel like tetsurou understood. he might be a vocalist and occasional lyricist, but without inspiration, the right words have never come easily to morisuke. the importance his words would hold in the moment was horrifying and also grounding; he could say the complete wrong thing right now- but that was why he had to say something, why he had to make sure that tetsurou knew he was being genuine. rehearsed words wouldn't have meant anything. tetsurou would've been able to tell. 

_"if i'm honest, i'm not sure where to start. point it out if i'm an asshole, i haven't planned any of this out."_

he hears what sounds like a snort as he slides down the wall next to tetsurou's apartment door to sit. it hardly serves as any kind of comfort, based on the scenario, but it does slightly ease a little of the tension that's built in his shoulders throughout their static and stifling conversation.

_"i should probably start with how you think i don't like you back."_

there's a sharp inhale, and it definitely adds to morisuke's(frankly, pathetically veiled) fear; his fear of the fact that no matter what he says now, tetsurou will get the wrong idea; his fear that even then, he could lose all of everything( _what little,_ he thinks briefly, before chastising himself, because if either of them has room to feel awful right now, it definitely shouldn't be him, and anyway, if he tries, if he works, he can build a _what little_ into an all-encompassing _everything_ ) that he's had- and maybe still has- with tetsurou. 

_"because i do. i do like you too. a lot. i might be a lyricist, but words are hard, fuck- i want to be with you, tetsurou, if you'd want that too. you're the best to me, and you always have been, ever since i spoke to you first. you said cheesy shit about my song, but fuck, it was cheesy shit that made me so happy. prom king was the first song that i wrote. the positive feedback meant- and still means- everything to me and more."_

he pauses to take a breath in of his own, and although he's not had any kind of verbal reaction from the man on the other side of the door(ergo: no positive feedback), it doesn't deter him. even if it's not anything good to hear in response to what he's saying, it also means that it can't be anything bad. 

_"i don't know why that spurred me to tell you i was- trans, i don't know why the only time we'd spoken you called me incredible, but you made me believe you, because you seemed so honest. i felt incredible then, tetsurou, you made me feel like i was. it felt like i could trust you, which is admittedly- not healthy- a_ _nd yet another case of me being way too trusting-"_ he pauses to laugh for a moment. _"-but, you told me what you told me at the bar, about my emotions. i felt like you understood, even if it wasn't personally. i still feel like you understand. if you're willing to try that."_

there's no real response, still, but morisuke doesn't sigh, or curse, or leave. he sits for a moment. somehow his words had come out in a rush, but in the same somehow, the same weights, scales, it felt like they were the right words to say. instead, he lets a silence envelop them, the rain gently hitting the window across from tetsurou's apartment serving as the backing track to the start of their song. morisuke thinks it's a song he'd like to sing, to familiarise himself with. 

_"i want to. if you do."_

tetsurou's voice sounds a little more comfortable( _and,_ notes morisuke, _significantly less hatred-filled_ ) and maybe a little confident, even, as he speaks. he doesn't make any attempt to say anything further and gives no verbal signal that he has anything more to say- and so morisuke comes to the conclusion that it's his turn again.

_"i do. of course i do."_

the creak of a door. the sliding of a chain. another creak. the pad of soft but fast-paced footsteps.

those are the four sounds that morisuke notes before he's absolutely and entirely swallowed by a hug from tetsurou(and finds that he doesn't mind). the embrace is warm, comforting, and so much more than morisuke thought that he'd ever be deserving of.

but somehow it's real and happening, and he finds it far easier than expected to reach up and wrap his arms around tetsurou just as tightly.

(if his shirt gets wet from tetsurou crying again, at least he's glad that it's onto his shoulder, where he can see him; reassure him.)

how long they stay there for is irrelevant, especially to morisuke, who somehow blundered his way through a successful confession and is now in the arms of possibly the safest person he knows(save for nobuyuki, and maybe yuuki too). 

the rain fades out to change into a glaring sunlight and it warms him further. morisuke vaguely wonders if tetsurou's ever written a song- how much help he'll receive writing theirs; whether it'll be a joint effort or him alone- but the hug serves as reassurance, and though he can't see tetsurou's face, he's confident they'll write theirs together. 

_-_

_"kuroo!"_

impatient knocking on the door alerts tetsurou to kenma's presence outside his apartment, and he groans as he gets up from the sofa, mourning being awaken from his nap(saturdays are not rest days for nothing). 

_"who is it, tetsu-chan?"_

he's suddenly very aware of his surroundings, post-sleep haze entirely gone as he looks down and sees morisuke in his arms, rubbing at his eyes softly and _holy fuck, he's so cute._

_"kenma."_

_"tell him to fuck off, i was napping."_

tetsurou laughs, but gets up to let kenma inside anyways, much to the apparent distaste of morisuke, who huffs discontentedly and throws himself down dramatically, hand over his forehead- before promptly curling up into foetal position to fall asleep again. 

_"kuroo, what is happening? first you call me, crying- you never cry, i was so fucking worried, do you hear me- then shou tells me **not to come to your place** \- which made no sense, but then he said yaku-san was gonna be here- and now he tells me you and yaku-san are going out? explain, now."_

he pushes his way past tetsurou into the apartment and looks over morisuke once, twice, then widens his eyes comically and turns back to look at tetsurou.

_"is yaku-san napping? on your sofa?"_

_"i was until you knocked the door so goddamn loudly! do you know how warm and safe tetsu's arms feel? i was really comfy, so yes, we are going out, as you put it, yes, tetsu is a fucking idiot, but he's fine now, i promise, and yes, i want to go back to sleep, so do you maybe think you could grill him later so i can do that please?"_

kenma looks in a state of shock and motions for an explanation- one that for once, tetsurou is not able to provide, and so he simply shrugs, as if to confirm the statement, though he does offer a feigned hurt look to morisuke, in lieu of yelling, to convey his _extremely_ real and honest hurt over being called "a fucking idiot" by his boyfriend(?).

_"i mean, technically i didn't know that we were going out, but everything else is... right, i guess."_

he fills the silence- it's becoming a little stifling, he notes- making sure to continue to appear wounded when he technically confirms that _yeah, okay, maybe he jumped to a few too many conclusions just a little too fast._ morisuke lets out a laugh, and it's still cute, even if tetsurou is sure it's at his expense.

_"tetsu, correct me if i'm wrong but from an outsider perspective i'm pretty sure it looked like i proposed to you on your doorstep, just minus the ring and the one-knee thing."_

definitely at his expense.

still, morisuke is kind of right, he supposes, even if it's annoying as hell to admit now that his... _less than kind_ post-nap personality is directed towards tetsurou instead of someone else. 

_"so we're definitely going out,"_ he concludes, and tetsurou isn't opposed to the idea in the slightest, so he smiles and shrugs his shoulders again. morisuke makes no further acknowledgement of this, and all the while kenma stands there shocked. _it's a little funny_ , tetsurou thinks, _that he came in here yelling, about to lecture me, and now he's gone completely silent._

 _"yeah, kenma?"_ starts morisuke, and tetsurou worries for the words that will come out of his mouth- he can think of a few, even if they seem to be on friendly terms. to his surprise, he smiles widely, but tetsurou laughs as he continues with, _"you're a nice guy, and i'm sure that you're great for shou, he definitely loves you, but can you fuck off so i can have cuddles and go back to sleep please?"_

kenma flushes just a little at the mention of his boyfriend, but otherwise his expression remains neutral(if not a little inclined towards surprise and/or complete and entire shock) as he slowly leaves the apartment and closes the door behind him. tetsurou follows him and turns the key in the door as he hears the lock click into place and kenma's footsteps in the hallway. 

_"well, i appreciate the sentiment, and i'm not at all opposed to cuddles, but couldn't you have, i don't know, said that a little bit nicer?"_

morisuke gives him a stunned look, before completely shutting down any argument tetsurou might've had with, _"yeah, duh."_

(tetsurou remembers thinking, when he first heard prom king, that morisuke was definitely meant to be something, even if not that- he knows now that the correct way to fill in the blank of what he was meant to be is most definitely in his arms.)

_-_

there's no new songs the next time tetsurou sees the band play, but he loves the performance all the same.

(his chosen word for the evening is _enthralled._ )

they perform prom king again- and there's a lightness to morisuke's tone that makes tetsurou's heart swell to burst, knowing what he does about the song, and how important it is for him. he's just so happy that morisuke is, and that it comes through when he's performing. 

when they're off stage, morisuke approaches tetsurou, a beaming grin on his face.

_"what did you think?"_

_"honestly, i think i'm running out of good words to use for you, you keep getting better, it's unfair! you were fantastic, as always."_

morisuke opens his mouth to respond but it cut off by the voice of nobuyuki, who says, _"tetsurou,"_ threateningly but also somehow as though they've known each other all their lives.

_"uh, hi? kai,"_

_"you can call me nobuyuki, morisuke seems to trust you so i do as well. that said-"_ there's a glint in his eye that makes tetsurou gulp and morisuke sigh, both of which nobuyuki takes note- _"that said, i can and will take measures to ensure you never see daylight again if you hurt him."_

tetsurou doesn't respond and nobuyuki raises an eyebrow. laughing nervously, a response is difficult to form, because the idea that he'd hurt morisuke is so odd, but he understands that nobuyuki has obviously helped morisuke through things that he wasn't there for(so being protective makes sense). 

_"why would i do that?"_

nobuyuki smiles widely then. 

_"a good question! you won't if you know what's good for you."_ tetsurou is eerily reminded of kenma. _"i'm glad to hear you seem to have his best interests at heart along with your own! it's nice to officially meet you then, i'm kai nobuyuki, morisuke's best friend who will not hesitate to beat you to death if he ends up crying over you."_

morisuke shoves nobuyuki then, and whether good-naturedly or not, it looks like it hurts. if tetsurou had the capacity to process anything other than the multiple death threats he'd received in the past few minutes(for something he wouldn't even do!) he'd have winced upon seeing it. 

_"shut up, nobuyuki, stop scaring him."_

_"i just don't want you to get hurt!"_

_"thanks, but i trust tetsu."_

_"yeah i can... see that."_

_"cmon, don't give that stupid kicked puppy look, he's my boyfriend, of course i trust him, dumbass."_

_"yeah, alright. how did that boyfriend thing happen, by the way?"_

just like that they fall into an easy conversation- tetsurou interjecting indignantly many times, due to morisuke's stupid detail inclusions and embarrassing portrayals of things(which, admittedly, tetsurou did do, but still!). 

-

the timing is perfect. 

the timing is incredible.

they're walking together- back to tetsurou's apartment after the show that evening. there's a slight chill in the wind, colder than it was a few weeks ago, and _morisuke has forgotten to bring a jacket._

_"are you cold?"_

_"no."_

the blatant lie makes tetsurou laugh a little- morisuke's slight shivering is admittedly that, only slight, but still noticeable, and it's a fantastic lie to catch him in, because tetsurou is finally allowed to ask him(as his boyfriend): _"do you want to wear my jacket to keep you warm?"_

morisuke pounces on him, tearing it from his shoulders, and it would be quite cute if it wasn't so sudden, aggressive and vaguely scary. 

but _oh, god,_ the result is worth it, because their height difference is no joke and tetsurou's jacket is absolutely huge on morisuke. he makes no move to say thank you, but tetsurou doesn't need to hear it, because morisuke grabs his hand and slowly pulls it into the sleeve. holding hands inside his sleeve is kind of funny, especially since he has to reach so far up it to get to morisuke's hand, but he'll be absolutely damned if he's not way too excited to laugh(because he finally has boyfriend privileges and he can offer morisuke his jacket whenever he wants to!). 

he looks extremely warm, and tetsurou's glad to note it. 

(one other thing that he looks is amazing for hugging, and even though he already knows, he decides to test his hypothesis when they reach his apartment block. he's proud and excited to report that studies show, even if your boyfriend is aggressive as fuck sometimes, he probably still really loves cuddles, especially practically drowning in _your jacket._ )

**Author's Note:**

> this took me way too long to write esp cz i literally prioritised it over every other draft i have JHGFHDJK and there's like 5 of those but i just wanted to write this so whatever,, i dont regret it and anyway this is probs the longest thing ive written EVER dkfjghfjd so,,  
> also all of the spelling mistakes when shou+morisuke are messaging are entirely intentional there is no way shou would be bothered to correct his spelling mistakes prove me wrong(not that i proofread any further than the first half)  
> kinda wanted to end this a little later than i did? it was meant to go a little bit further but it got to a point i was happy with, they were meant to go on another date but it felt nice where it was  
> anyway i hope yall are having a good day/evening!! i refuse to acknowledge night cz if it's night you should be sleeping(i say, having written at least half of this past midnight)  
> stay safe/sleep well!! <3  
> -kye(??)


End file.
